[Leica] Re: LUG Digest, Vol 35, Issue 73

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Jun 5, 2007, at 2:55 PM, Tina wrote:

>> LUG:
>>
>> I need some travel advice, too.  I'm going to the Golden Trout
>> Wilderness for a photography workshop July 1-7.  We have to carry
>> everything in on our backs and the elevation is about 12,000 feet.
>> I'm planning to carry my M8 with three or four lenses, and my 5D as
>> a backup with two Leica R lenses.  With sleeping bags, mats, water,
>> towel, etc. I won't be able to carry much more. I'm wondering about
>> how many clothes I need to take.  How cold does it get at 12,000
>> feet in July?  Would long underwear, layering and a light jacket be
>> enough?  The nearest road is at Lone Pine, CA.  Has anybody been
>> there?  I'm not sure what to expect.
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Tina


While not quite relevant to your question, I am a moderate  
backcountry X-country skier. But most of my skiing has been on the  
relatively low mountains of Vermont and upstate NY, maximum elevation  
of about 5000 ft. For my 60th birthday my family surprised me with a  
two week vacation skiing the 10th Mountain Division Trail in  
Colorado, average elevation 11,000 ft. with some parts at 12,000 ft.  
On the advice of a mountain climbing doctor friend, I spent the first  
week acclimating to the altitude at a nice lodge at the 10,000 ft.  
altitude, skiing for just a few hours every day. By the end of the  
week, I could climb a couple of flights of stairs without gasping for  
breath. On the actual trail trip I could handle the day's trek of  
about 30 miles from cabin to cabin without suffering too much. Our  
backpacks and essential gear weighed about 40 lb. I didn't carry a  
ton of Leica gear, just a Rollei SE. Those of our companions, most  
much younger than I, who had not taken the time to acclimate to the  
altitude had a much harder time. Two ex-Marines in their 30s had to  
drop out and were taken back by a guide.

The moral of this story is take some time to acclimate to the  
altitude. As much as you can spare. If you can rent a room nearby a  
week beforehand, do it. Don't try to push through fatigue - stop and  
rest. Altitude sickness is not just a state of mind.

The type of clothing depends on the vagaries of the weather. At  
altitude it can be blazing hot at midday and below freezing at night,  
even in July. Take at least one down filled vest. And be sure to wear  
lots of sunblock during the day. Why not just take a spare Leica M  
body and a few rolls of film as a backup and leave the SD and R  
lenses at home? That way you can use the same lenses as with the M8.  
No worries about battery recharge either.

Have a wonderful time.

Larry Z